DP Sports Player of the Week: Laquan McKever

Another week, another big offensive performance from Penn sprint football.

This weekend against Chestnut Hill, the Quakers got an all-time performance from sophomore running back Laquan McKever, who powered the team to its third straight victory and earned DP Sports Player of the Week honors in the process.

McKever found success early and often on the ground, rushing for 71 of Penn’s 90 yards on the touchdown drive that would give the Red and Blue their first lead of the game at 21-14. After playing a crucial role in giving the Quakers the lead, McKever put the game away for good late, rattling off a 46-yard touchdown run to put the Red and Blue up by three possessions late in the fourth quarter.

McKever would finish with a career high 238 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Quakers to their 42-32 victory. McKever’s rushing total against Chestnut Hill was good for seventh best in program history and the most by a Quaker since 2010.

After getting just four carries for 49 yards as a freshman last season, McKever has replaced Jake Klaus, who graduated after last season, to become a major component of sprint football’s explosive offense this season. The sophomore has rushed for over 100 yards in three of the team's four games this season, totaling 578 yards and five touchdowns. McKever’s dominant start to the season has also been good enough to put him in the Penn single-season record books, as his total yardage through just four games is already enough to give him the 10th most rushing yards in a single season.

After this week's performance, McKever and the Quakers have now scored 160 points in their last three games. They will need their offense to be firing on all cylinders again as they look towards a trip to Annapolis, Md. in two weeks to take on a Navy team that has allowed just 46 points all season.